The Essence of summer: An editorial

With temperatures elsewhere in the nation topping 100 degrees, New Orleans is balmy in comparison. Not that the 90-plus degree heat here would bother the crowds in town for the Essence Music Festival anyway.

Brett Duke / The Times-Picayune Steve Harvey talks with the crowd before hosting Family Feud during an Essence Music Festival event at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Friday.

They should be nice and cool in the Superdome and Convention Center for the weekend's concerts and empowerment seminars. Besides, this is the 18th year for the fest, and all but one have been spent in South Louisiana in July. So, Essence fest-goers know what to expect and should know how to cool off.

The annual festival crowds are a boon for hotels and other businesses during what would otherwise be a quiet weekend. In addition to the 400,000 visitors tourism officials expect for this year's festival, the NOLA Business Alliance hosted top-level executives from companies around the country to try to sell them on the city.

Ten African-American business executives in "senior leadership" positions at private equity, real estate, film and digital media companies spent Thursday and Friday meeting with local business leaders. They also toured parts of the city that might hold interest for their companies, including the Michoud Boulevard manufacturing corridor.

That is a smart use of an entertainment event to sell the city as a business destination.

This weekend, though, the music is the star. Soul queen Aretha Franklin is on the schedule for Sunday night. Actually, that alone could make the weekend, but there is much more: D'Angelo (in his first U.S. show in more than a decade), Charlie Wilson, the Pointer Sisters, Trey Songz, Fantasia, Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan and so on and so on.

As always, Essence fest has an introspective side, too. The empowerment seminars reflect the festival theme, "The Power of Our Voice," and include MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry, CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield, comedian and TV host Steve Harvey and Pastor Marvin Winans, who also is a Grammy-winning artist.

In addition to her spot on the festival's main music stage, Chaka Khan will honor three dozen women from our community who are graduating from her "Super Life Transformation" initiative.

She brought the project to New Orleans after speaking to women here post-Katrina. The women were provided with counselors, who connected them to agencies that could help with financial and medical needs, job training and other ways to help them "regain their power," Ms. Khan said.

"When I came back this past April, I saw totally different women. These women were closing on homes, starting businesses, just really doing great. Happy and empowered. It's been a great experience."

And thanks to her and so many others, Essence has been a great experience for New Orleans.